


The Difference Between Us

by OrangeElf



Category: Dramione - Fandom, Harry Potter - Fandom
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-06
Updated: 2015-02-24
Packaged: 2018-02-24 09:24:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2576393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OrangeElf/pseuds/OrangeElf





	1. Burrow

It was July 31st 1999 and Hermione had been at the burrow for ten days now and they were all celebrating Harry's 18th birthday today,

"Harry, open my present first!" Ron shouted above the noise,

"No! Mine!" Ginny argued back,

"I've known him longer!"

"Well he loves me more!" They kept arguing back and forth with a few bat-bogey hex threats thrown in there by Ginny, but Harry just looked at Hermione and rolled his eyes which caused her to giggle.

 

"Children!" Mrs. Weasley boomed and silenced everyone in the room instead of just her two arguing children whom she was talking to, "Harry, dear, why don't you decide whose present you would like to open first?" Molly suggested. He looked around at the eleven faces in the room as if pretending to decide. He went from Mr. Weasley, to Mrs. Weasley, Bill and Fleur, Ginny, Ron, Charlie, George and Angelina then finally to Percy before he laid his eyes on Hermione.

"I think I'll open Hermione's present first." He nodded towards her with a smile and as he said it, as loud sigh of annoyance came from Ginny whilst Ron muttered something about his present being cooler than Hermione's. Hermione knew he'd picked her as it would annoy Ginny and Ron more than if he'd picked anyone else's,

"Thanks, Harry." She smiled.

 

Hermione passed the small red box with a silver ribbon around it to Harry who had a big smile plastered on his face. He slowly removed the ribbon and opened the box to find a dark brown wallet inside. He was slightly confused, he loved it and was very grateful, but still confused that she had given him a muggle wallet. Hermione noticed the confused look on his face; "Well open it then!" She said as if she was about to burst, the excitement getting ahold of her. Harry opened the wallet and realised what it was; it was like Hermione's purse that she had taken with her when they went searching for horcuxes. "I'm guessing this isn't just for money then, unless you think I'm wealthier than the Queen?" Harry joked

"No," Hermione laughed, "Considering you and Ron are going to be off doing Auror training and eventually becoming Aurors, I though that would come in useful for carrying things around. It also has a lightening charm on it, like my purse does."

"Oh, Hermione! You're so thoughtful, thank you so much!" Harry exclaimed before standing up off of the floor and going over to the sofa to hug Hermione who was sitting down.

 

During that summer, Harry, Ron and Hermione had all received letters from Howarts saying that they were a select few that were being asked to join the new 7th year in lessons, and finish the year with their N.E.W.T.S as they didn't attend their 7th year and therefore, never got their qualifications. They also got letters from the Ministry asking them if they wanted to start Auror training on September 1st instead of going back to Hogwarts as they wouldn't need qualifications because they already had more experience than a lot of trained Aurors. This was Harry and Ron's dream so they instantly said yes, but on the other hand, Hermione didn't have any interest in becoming an Auror and she wanted to get her N.E.W.T.S, so she kindly declined the offer and accepted Headmistress McGonagall's offer instead.

 

After receiving Hermione's gift, Harry got his gifts of everyone else, starting with his eighteen chocolate frogs from Ron (they'd made a deal to get the amount of chocolate frogs equivalent to their age for each birthday. It was Ron's idea), then a wizard watch from Ginny that told you what the time was and what the temperature was where you currently were and, when you were about to apparate, the time and weather for where you were apparating to. He also got muggle chocolates from Mr and Mrs. Weasley as Mr. Weasley found it fascinating that they didn't jump, a huge box of joke stuff from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes from George and Angelina then finally, cards from Charlie, Percy, Bill and Fleur.

 

After cake and celebrations, Angelina, Charlie, Percy, Bill and Fleur went home then Molly, Arthur and George went to sit in the kitchen, leaving Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny in the living room together.

"I can't believe you two aren't coming back to Hogwarts with me and Hermione." Ginny commented sadly whilst cuddled up to Harry on one of the sofas in the room.

"We're still a year older than you, so if McGonagall hadn't invited us back we still wouldn't have been with you." Harry answered whilst tracing his left hand up and down her left arm as she rested her back on his chest.

"I know, it's just going to be so lonely with out you and Ron."

"Thanks, Gin." Hermione said with a smile, making the other three laugh as she sat with her back on the armrest of another sofa with her legs draped over Ron's.

"You know what I mean!"

"Yeah, I feel that way too. Even though we have each other, it's just not going to be the same with out Harry and Ron." Hermione answered her. In reply, Ron kissed her forehead and said,

"It's going to be okay, I'll miss you both, too," just loud enough for her and the other two to hear.

"We start at 1pm anyway, so we'll be going to the platform with Arthur and Molly to see you off." Harry reassured. Before anyone could reply, Mrs. Weasley walked in.

"Have you girls packed yet?" She asked,

"Not yet." Harry and Ron said simultaneously, causing the two girls in question to laugh,

"The other two girls haven't either." Answered Ginny whilst still laughing.

"It's 7:30pm now so you should really get started!"

"Oh Merlin, it is!" Exclaimed Ginny, "C'mon 'Mione, I'll race you up there!" She shouted as her and Hermione quickly jumped off of the sofas and ran up the stairs.

 

......

 

"Ha! I knew I would win!" Ginny exclaimed triumphantly whilst in her bedroom with Hermione.

"Just because you play quidditch!" Hermione answered back whilst out of breath,

"Yes, Hermione, because of all the running I do in quidditch!"

"Shhh." Hermione answered jokingly before she started to pack.

"I can't believe you got head girl! Well, I can, everyone knew it was going to happen I just meant that I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, but I didn't expect it."

"Pffft! Don't be modest! Of course you did, who else would it have been?"

"I honestly thought you." Ginny gave her an 'are-you-serious' look, "No, I did! I thought they would give it to a proper 7th year, not someone who had came back to redo the year."

"Well, I did end up being the Gryffindor girl prefect. Did you hear about what happened to the prefects by the way?"

"No?"

"They got rid of the 5th and 6th year prefects, saying that it was too much."

"Weird."

"Yeah, I know right? Oh oh oh! Do you know who the Head Boy is?"

"No, but he'll be from a different house. I bet if Harry was coming back I wouldn't have been Head Girl so he could be Head Boy."

"You know there's not a hope in Azkaban that he would have accepted that role!"

"I guess. I just hope it's not a Slytherin." Hermione replied.


	2. Journey

The Next day, September 1st, "Ginevra Weasley! I told you to pack last night and now we're going to be late!" Mrs. Weasley shouted rather loudly up the stairs to her daughter who was currently in her room, siting on her trunk to try and close it whilst Hermione just stood there laughing at her. 

 

"Y'know, Hermione, you are allowed to help me?" Ginny asked her friend whilst becoming impatient,

"Of course I know I can help, it's just funny to watch you struggle." Hermione replied whilst trying her best to hold back her laughter, but failing miserably.

"I was being sarcastic!" Ginny said whilst starting to raise her voice, "I meant, get your arse over here and help me!" Hermione couldn't help it, she doubled over in laughter with tears threatening to spill at Ginny trying to be authoritative, but helped her anyway.

 

The previous night whilst Hermione was packing, Ginny was gossiping to Hermione, trying to get gossip out of Hermiome, and when that failed, she decided to ignore her and read Quidditch magazines, in turn completely avoid the task at hand. It was currently 10:30am, and as per usual, the Hogwarts Express was set to leave from platform 9 3/4 at 11:00am, but of course, like every year, Ginny was packing last minute because she had procrastinated the previous night.

 

When the two girls finally got the trunk shut and Erol in his cage, it was 10:40am and they rushed down stairs to greet the other four in the living room, "We're ready!" Ginny shouted as she couldn't see anyone, then spotted them in the dining room and made her way through with Hermione.

"I don't know why you included Hermione in that sentence, she actually packed last night when she was supposed to, unlike you!" Mrs. Wealsey replied to Ginny, "And Hermione dear, have you got everything you need?"

"Of course you're nice to her..." Ginny muttered under her breath before Hermione could reply,

"Yes! Because she isn't lazy!" Replied Mrs. Weasley, turning back to face Hermione expectantly whilst Harry, Ron and Mr. Weasley snickered behind them.

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I do, thank you." Hermione replied with a smile. Harry looked at his new watch to see what time it was,

"Everyone, it's 10:45, we should probably get going."

"Oh, thank you, Harry, come on then everyone, let's get outside so we can apparate!" Molly called and everyone followed out into the Burrow's garden.

"Is everybody ready?" Mr. Weasley asked, to which everyone nodded then joined hands with they person next to them and in a flash they were gone.

 

......

 

The six of them landed a muggle-free place just next to Kings Cross Station and started making their way to the station. Hermione had a pale magenta, long-sleeved woolly jumper on that was slightly over-sized, a pair of dark blue jeans and some light pink plimsoles, whilst Ginny was wearing a dark blue t-shirt with the 'Puddlemere United' crest in big on the front, a pair of light blue jeans and white pumps. Harry and Ron just had on their Auror training gear, they still had two hours to get ready as they had to be there for 1:00pm, but Hermione thought that it was because they wanted to show off to everyone. "Typical Ron" she thought.

 

They made it to the platform for 10:50am, so they had a bit of time to relax and catch their breath before Hermione and Ginny had to get on the train. Looking around, Hermione could only see just over a third of the students that were in her year, she guessed McGonagall hadn't invited as many students back as she had presumed. There seemed to be more Gryffindors than anything else, she could only see two Ravenclaws, four Hufflepuffs and- ugh. Four Slytherins. She'd never spoken to Daphne Greengrass, who appeared to be one of the Slytherins who returned this year, but the other three were the very beings she despised; Goyle, Parkinson and Malfoy. Why on earth would they be invited back?

 

Well, she understood why Malfoy was back. He spent his sixth year fixing the vanishing cabinet and got appalling grades but she didn't know what he did during seventh year, but she presumed he didn't stick around. Parkinson and Goyle however, she was oblivious to why they would be here. As far as she knew they would have stayed at Hogwarts, but then she remembered Goyle's dad was a death eater, and maybe Pansy's was too? "Why does it matter?" She thought and turned to face the five people she was with to get ready to say her goodbyes.

 

Draco couldn't believe he had to come back to this place, half because he hated it and the other half because of what _he_ inflicted on the place. _Him_. All _him_. _He_ let the death eaters into the school, he was responsible for every death that happened that night, whether he directly killed them or not. He felt guilty, but not as much as he probably should have. It's not as if he did it voluntarily, it was either that or him and his parents die. It was ultimately all Voldemort's fault, but that didn't mean he didn't feel any guilt at all. I was a selfish decision, but a necessary one at that, he'd decided.

 

He was with Pansy, Goyle and Daphne at the platform waiting to get on the train. His parents hadn't came to see him off, they didn't speak to him too much anymore. He always knew that his father would pick Voldemort over him, it was inevitable, but he always thought his mother would be there for him. But no. She also felt like he had failed them, disgraced the family. His 'loving' mother also picked the dark lord over him. He had no one, really. He had his 'friends', if you could call them that. They were more like people he spent time with just because he had no-one else.

 

"Oi, Draco?" Suddenly Draco snapped to attention and looked in the direction the voice came from and saw it was Goyle talking to him,

"What?"

"It's 10:55, we need to get on the train."

"Alright then." He answered plainly, yes he had agreed to come back this year, but he most certainly didn't want to, he basically had no other option though. It was either, stay at home with the parents that hate him and get no N.E.W.Ts and therefore no job in the future, or get away from his parents and get his qualifications. He decided the latter was far more appealing.

 

He picked up his trunk and went onto the Hogwarts Express with Goyle, Pansy and Daphne. He didn't really know Daphne too well, he'd talked to her a few times and she was quite pretty. On the other hand, he couldn't wait to be rid of Pansy. They got along fine with each other, but after they broke up the year before she just became annoying, he couldn't explain why, she just was.

 

They went to they usual compartment, put their trunks in the compartment up ahead and sat down together, Draco on the back left facing Goyle with Daphne next to him and Pansy next to Goyle.

 

......

 

They'd been on the train for an hour and Goyle and Daphne were asleep. Pansy kept looking over at Draco and glaring until he finally shouted at her and she stopped, and that was 20 minutes before. Draco got up out of his seat and headed for the door, before he left he looked over at Pansy to see her questioning him with the look on her face.

"I'm just going to the restroom." He told her,

"Okay then." He left the compartment and tried to close it quietly to not wake the people he was sitting with, not to be nice really, just so he didn't have to deal with them. He set off down the corridor and noticed an opportunity to have some fun; 'Mudblood and Weaselbee. Kissing. A horrible sight. I just have to suck it up,' he thought to himself.

 

"Ronalda and Mudblood sitting in a tree..." Hermione and Ron broke apart quickly to see who it was and saw Draco with a smirk on his face.

"Did being a Death Eater get boring now that your leader died so you thought you'd come bother us instead of crying?" Ron spat at him in a venomous tone,

"No, actually, I needed to find something else to cry about so thought I'd come find the Mudblood's face." Draco retorted, Ron went to launch at him when he heard Hermione laughing, so he turned around to see her gripping the wall for support as otherwise she'd fall over form laughing so much.

 

"Wow, Malfoy." She said in between laughing, "The best you can come up with is that you came to laugh at my face? Well her it is! Enjoy, I guess?" And away she went again, into another laughing fit.

"Be quiet, you filthy little mudblood, nobody cares about what you have to say!" He shouted at her, with so much hate in his voice, which is why it was surprising him that she was talking so calmly with no emotion but humour in her voice.

"Do you have any other word than 'Mudblood' in your vocabulary? I can think of loads of things that are wrong with you but you seem to only be able to find one 'problem' with me, if you want to call it that." Draco was stuck, he knew she was right? He didn't find her particularly ugly and her clothes seemed fine. Well, she was being her usual know-it-all self. That definitely pissed him off.

"If you think there's so many things wrong with me, why are you talking to me, you insufferable know-it-all?" He questioned, still shouting.

"I don't know, arrogant prat, if you're aware, Death Eater, but you, Ferret, starting talking to me, pompous git." Hermione replied, saying every name as a cough as if it were accidental.

 

"Move out of my way, Mudblood, I came out here to go to the restroom and I don't want to risk catching a disease if I touch you."

"Wait, so you didn't come out here to laugh at the 'Mudblood's' face?"

"Just move, Granger!" So she did, gladly getting away from the situation. She turned back to look at Ron, who looked proud.

"I didn't know you had that in you!" He suddenly said,

"Well, I'm full of surprises." She replied, smiling at him and giving him a a quick kiss before they both returned to their compartment.


	3. Hogwarts

As Hermione got off the train at Hogsmeade station and made her way to the carriages, she looked at the wonderful sight in front of her in awe; Hogwarts. She couldn't believe it had only been weeks since she'd last been there, or that the last time she was there it had been to fight instead of to learn. That upset her. This year, she was determined to have a 'stress free as possible' year. Hermione knew that it would definitely not be stress free, especially because she was going to be Head Girl _and_ it would be with someone she really know, as all of her close male friends were in Gryffindor, but she was going to try to keep stress at a minimum.

 

She had started making her way to the carriages with Ginny, Luna, Seamus, Dean and Neville when she mentally scolded herself; she shouldn't be thinking like that, she thought. She was Hermione Granger, and she had been picked to be Head Girl and should be more appreciative. Carefully, she stepped up into the carriage behind her friends and took a seat next to Luna. Hermione hated being able to see the thestrals, no matter how beautiful she thought them to be, it just reminded her of all of the horrors she'd seen in the war and how she had seen death.

 

"Hermione!" Quickly she snapped out of her thoughts, literally. When her eyes focused, she saw Ginny snapping her fingers in Hermione's face.

"Oh, um, yeah, Ginny?"

"Seamus was talking to you and you were completely ignoring him!" Replied Ginny, shocked. Why she was shocked, Hermione didn't know, she was only zoning out, it wasn't as if it was on purpose.

"Sorry, Seamus, what were you saying?"

"I asked how your break was." Said Seamus with his big smile,

"It was good thanks, I spent time with Harry and Ron on holiday for a few weeks, went to visit my grandparents then went to the Burrow, you?"

"I didn't really get up to anything, saw Dean quite a lot but otherwise just spent it with the parents." He answered in his think accent, one Hermione always liked.

 

Everyone told everyone about what happened over their summer break. Ginny stayed at home mostly, except for a small weekend holiday to Scotland with her parents and George, Neville stayed with his grandmother and visited his parents one or two times, Luna and her dad went nargle hunting in Germany for 4 weeks before residing at home for the rest of the break, seeing Neville a few times, whilst Dean stayed at home apart from going to Ireland for 2 weeks to see Seamus.

 

"It's weird being here without Harry and Ron." Ginny commented, breaking the 2 minute silence.

"Yeah, by now Ron would have demolished about twenty chocolate frogs." Seconded Neville glumly.

"I hope it's still a good year without them." Hermione finished, to which everyone nodded silently. Nobody talked for the rest of the ride, they were all deep in thought about the year ahead of them.

 

......

 

Students started filing their way into the Great Hall for the opening feast. Hermione noticed there weren't as many first years being sorted this year, not to her surprise, she didn't expect many parents would want to send their children back to Hogwarts after the war.

 

The sorting had finished soon enough and the newcomers made their way to their seats at their respective tables.

"Good evening, boys and girls." McGonagall started at the podium, "I'd like to welcome everyone to a new year at Hogwarts. As per usual, the Forbidden Forest is off limited to every student." She reminded and eyed up Hermione and her friends at the last comment, "and all students should be in dorms by 10pm. This year there will no longer be fifth and sixth year prefects, only seventh year prefects, and always, your Head Boy and Head Girl, whom this year are Hermione Granger of Gryffindor," the professor paused for applause from the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff tables, "and Michael Corner of Ravenclaw." Again, their headmistress paused for cheers from the three tables whilst Slytherins sat with scowls on their faces.

 

"The Hufflepuff prefects are Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan." Applause. "The Ravenclaw prefects are Luna Lovegood and Anthony Goldstein." Applause. "The Gryffindor prefects are Ginny Weasley and Neville Longbottom." Applause. "Finally, the Slytherin prefects are Daphne Greengrass and Draco Malfoy." One or two claps. "Let the feast begin." McGonagall finished and went to sit alongside the other professors.

 

"Oh my god! How did Malfoy make prefect?" Ginny instantly commented as the food appeared on the played in front of them,

"He's bright." Hermione commented, she couldn't really be bothered with this as she was now tired.

"Yeah, I bet that's on his CV, right next to 'Death Eater'." Seamus retorted back, clearly as annoyed as Ginny.

"What's a CV?" Ginny and Neville chorused, causing Hermione, Seamus and Dean to laugh.

"It's a muggle thing." Dean replied, still laughing.

 

No one really spoke after that apart from a few comments here and there, all five of them just kept their heads down and ate, except Hermione. She was looking to see who had returned from her year. It turned out she was wrong about the Ravenclaws, it turned out there was three of them, but right about there being more Gryffindors. From Gryffindor, there was Dean Thomas, Seamus Finnegan, Parvati Patil, Neville Longbottom and herself. From Ravenclaw, there was Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein and Michael Corner. Hufflepuff had Hannah Abbott, Megan Jones, Susan Bones and Ernie Macmillan then finally from Slytherin was Pansy Parkinson, Daphne Greengrass, Draco Malfoy and Gregory Goyle. She counted sixteen in total, barely anyone had returned from her year. Hermione and presumed there wouldn't be many as McGonagall said they would be having classes with the proper seventh year students, but she didn't think there would be so little. She expected at least five from each house.

 

"So why are you back here, Seamus?" Ginny asked, again bringing Hermione away from her thoughts.

"Well Dean didn't really have a choice about coming back as he was on the run through seventh year, sort of like Hermione, Ron and Harry, so I would have had a year alone doing nothing but I asked McGonagall if I could come back to redo the year, like Neville did, and she said yes."

"So what happened to everyone else? Are they not going to get their N.E.W.Ts?" Asked Neville,

"They took their exams in the summer break. That's what Harry and Ron did, they didn't get that good results due to them missing a year but Hermione made them do lots of studying so they ended up doing okay. Harry still got Outstanding in Defence Against the Dark Arts." Ginny answered.

"Obviously!" Dean commented.

 

......

 

Draco just stared at his plate and moved the food around with his fork. He wasn't hungry. His 'friends' had sat around him and were talking to each other. He wasn't in the mood for talking. He was sick of everyone already. Draco didn't care about people's opinions, therefore he didn't care when only five people clapped for him and Daphne, well, for Daphne. Even that didn't bother him. Nevertheless it reminded him about his past and how everyone else would remember his past and hold it against him. That's what bothered him. Even Goyle was picked to be prefect before him, but he was still grieving after Crabbe's death and didn't want the responsibility. The only people left him and the proper seventh years, but they were all stupid so it was only really Draco in the running.

 

He lifted his head and looked around the room, Hufflepuffs, ew. Ravenclaws, bareable... do-able. Gryffindorks, ew. He didn't even get started on Slytherins. The ones that knew he failed his task all hated him, and the ones who thought he was still a Death Eater worshipped him. He couldn't stand it. Since he got to platform 9 3/4 he was getting either pats on the back or full blown punches on the back, no in-between. He couldn't win. It seemed to Draco, that he couldn't do anything.

 

Slowly, his eyes drifted along the Gryffindork table until he noticed a certain mudblood and he stopped. Hermione Granger. The words sounded like acid dripping through his ears. Which pissed him off slightly. She, along with PotHead and WeasleBee, saved his and Goyle's life, was rather pretty and seemed like a nice person, but she had to go and be a mudblood. And he had to go and hate her, and the feelings had to be mutual. He hated how much he hated her, but he also didn't care, because he hated her. Draco shook his head as if to try and get the confusing thoughts out and before they could enter again, McGonagall had moved to the podium to speak;

 

"Could all prefects and the Head Boy and Girl come see me, everyone is dismissed." Everyone started to file out of the Great Hall whilst the ten selected students made for the opposite direction to speak to their headmistress.

 

"I just wanted to tell you that as we now only have have ten of you here, we decided to make a common room for prefects when we were reconstructing the castle. This way, it should be easier for you to do homework and hold meetings, you still sleep in the your house dorms and you still have your house common room to go to if you wish. We've built it next door to the prefect's bathroom so you will have both facilities next to each other with a door connecting the two. Any questions?"

"I have one, professor." Granger spoke up, 'Typical teacher's pet' Draco thought,

"Yes, Miss. Granger?"

"How do we enter the common room?"

"Through the door..." Mumbled Draco, causing a few people to snigger.

"5 points from Slytherin for the unnecessary comment, Mr. Malfoy. To enter the common room, you will see a slightly off-coloured brick on the wall, just place you wand on it and the door will appear, and as Mr. Malfoy commented before, you go through the door." McGonagall said, sternly looking at Draco for her first and last comment.

"Thank you, professor." Granger said quietly.

"Any other questions? No? Well, as today's Wednesday, I'll you all in Transfiguration tomorrow, goodnight."

 

And everyone left to their dorms for the night.

 

 

_**\--Sorry nothing interesting happened in this chapter, it was more of a filler :)--** _


	4. Princess

Tap. Tap. Tap.

 

"Hermione, if you keep that up I'm going to hex you."

"Sorry, Ginny." Hermione muttered. She was bored. She was lonely. Hermione kept having the urge to keep tapping her quill on the table, but she decided against as she'd seen Ginny's bat-bogey hexes and she wasn't going to risk it. Ginny had told her she was being stupid because she'd heard that they'd be turning Cornish Pixies into pens next week in Transfiguration, so she decided to write an assignment for it just incase they got it for homework.

 

Okay, Hermione had to admit, it was a bit unnecessary, but she wanted to be prepared.

"But I miss him so much!" Hermione heard Ginny say, she she lifted her head to listen into the conversation between her and Parvati.

"Ginny, it's Saturday, you saw him three days ago!"

"But it's just so long!"

"What about when he went away with Ron and Hermione last year?"

"I- I don't know. It was different then, I guess. I know I'm being stupid. I'm normally strong, not a needy, whiny girl who cries over her boyfriend. It's just- I don't want to be away from him again."

 

Ron. Hermione had tried not to think about him. She missed Harry too, but she'd been so happy with Ron and now they were apart again. She wasn't in the same state Ginny was in but she did miss Ron, she had tried her best to not think about him as it would just make her more lonely. Hermione wasn't particularly close to Ginny, sure they shared a bedroom together in the Burrow but they were just friends, not much more than aquintences. The only real friend she had here was Luna and she was in Ravenclaw, so she couldn't go see her.

She suddenly got an idea, the new common room. Luna might be in there, and even if she isn't, it would mean that she could get some peace to finish her assignment without Ginny making her miss the boys even more.

"Hey, Gin?"

"Yeah, Hermione?"

"I'm just going to the prefects common room to finish this."

"Okay, see you at dinner, then?"

"Sure." Hermione smiled comfortingly at Ginny before leaving through the portrait of the Fat Lady.

 

 

Hermione went down two flights of stairs until she made it to the fifth floor; the floor where the prefects bathroom was and went to the hallway where it can be found. She walked up the hallway, she walked down the hallway, and she walked up it again before the fourth time travelling down it, when she found it. It was on the bottom row of bricks, to the left of the prefect bathroom entrance, about ten paces.

 

She put her wand to the the brick and the bricks above and surrounding it moved away for their locations to show a door, quite similar to the entrance to Diagonal Alley. Hermione guessed there was magic on the brick to detect whose wand it was, or anybody could just walk in. She slowly grasped the handle and the cold from it bit at her skin, sending a shiver running through her right arm and down her spine, making the hands stand up on her neck. On top of that, she was really nervous but she didn't quite know why, she just had a pit of uncertainty lying in the depths of her stomach. She cautiously twisted the handle and opened the door slightly; she couldn't see Luna but she couldn't see anyone else either so at least she would get peace and quiet.

 

The room looked truly magnificent, on the right side of the room there was a fire place crackling, surprising as she could see nobody here. It was large and was made with grey stone brick and so was the chimney, the wall it sat on being a crimson red with wood sideboards on the ground. The floor was made of dark mahogany wood in planks, striped across the floor in perfect lines. Straight ahead of her was a cream wall, like all but one of the others, which made the room look a lot lighter in contrast of the crimson wall and dark flooring. On the wall was a large window which was showing the bright sun, hiding the chill. Hermione couldn't see much more of the room so she opened the door fully and inwardly groaned: Malfoy.

 

Why did it have to be Malfoy?

 

The door creaked as it opened, snapping Draco to attention, much to Hermione's annoyance. She had hoped to just slip to the back and go unnoticed, but of course not, that would be too easy.

"Well, if it isn't Granger."

"Shut up, Malfoy, I just came for a bit of quiet to finish my homework." Hermione retorted and went to the back of the room and set herself up at a desk.

"But we didn't get any homework?"

"You're not in all of my classes so how would you know?" There was a short break before Malfoy replied,

"Because-" He started, much to Hermione's surprise he was right behind her which caused her to jump and him to snigger, "-we never get homework on the first week, and that's Transfiguration which I _do_ have with you."

 

Hermione sighed. She just wanted peace.

"Malfoy, I'm busy, go away."

"Wait a minute! That's about Cornish Pixies, which were doing next week. Merlin's beard! You've actually done the homework early, to the point it hasn't even been set yet! You're such an-"

"Insufferable know it all? Get your own material Malfoy instead of stealing off professors."

"Mudblood..." He muttered quietly under his breath whilst returning to the couch he was previously sitting on.

"What did you just say?" Hermiome asked him as she stood up slowly from her seat in an obviously forced, calm voice.

"You know what I said, filth."

 

 Before Malfoy could blink twice, Hermione was at his throat with her wand;

"I may have let that slide in the past, but not anymore. You better get your act together before I kill you."

"Ooo. I am so scared." Draco replied in a 'so-not-impressed' voice, "That threat might actually mean something if you weren't Granger, you'd be so scared of getting caught, or worse, expelled."

"Would I now?" Hermione asked sweetly whilst walking back to her desk, before she got there she turned back around to face Malfoy and put on an innocent face, "Why would anyone believe that one of the 'three heros of the war', the 'brightest witch of her age' would ever do something like that." He looked shocked to say the least. "Obviously I hate all of those names and wish people would stop using them, but they do come in useful sometimes." Hermione added, then turned around and continued to her desk and took a seat.

 

......

 

3 hours. 3 "God damn hours" Draco sat there, as he put it. Well, either way he was going to sit there to avoid everyone, but it was worse, because it felt like 6 "God damn hours". He tried reading, didn't work. He tried taking a bath next door, didn't work. No matter what he did, time dragged on because he knew that Granger was there, whether it was her quill scratching on the parchment, or her constant sniffing, or her leg scratching, or her foot tapping, he was never allowed to forget who he was in the room with. Even when he wasn't in the room and he was taking a bath, just knowing she was in there and that he would have to go back to her made it drag on. He needed to have fun.

 

"What's it like not having your boyfriend with you?" Silence. He knew he'd hit a touchy subject.

"I said-"

"I know what you said, Malfoy."

"Well-" He started making his way to her and stood behind her, "- it's rude to not answer people."

"And it's rude to purposely try to distract and upset people, so move."

"Oo, someone's a bit touchy." Again, silence, but this time he was scared. Granger slowly turned around on the stool she was sitting on to face him. She didn't look happy.

"Yes, Malfoy, maybe I am a bit touchy, maybe I am upset about not having my boyfriend with me, maybe I wish I wasn't some 'hero', and maybe I wish I wasn't muggle-born but just because you're an arrogant prat that has the emotional range of a teaspoon, doesn't mean that we all do, and just because you don't care about anyone but yourself, doesn't mean we all do, so please, for the love of god, do me a favour and stay away from me!" Granger started raising her voice slightly about halfway through. Draco felt bad for her, all of this pressure being put on her... Then he snapped back into reality and realised he was just as bad off as her. She had picked up her work and had started to make her way out of the room.

 

"You think you're the only person in the world who has it bad, don't you?"

"What?"

"You think that you, perfect little princess Hermione Granger, are so 'unfortunate' and 'why did it have to be you?', don't you!?" Draco voice was getting progressively louder, "WELL YOU'RE NOT, OKAY? AT LEAST PEOPLE GIVE A SHIT ABOUT YOU, AT LEAST YOU HAVE PEOPLE TO GIVE A SHIT ABOUT! I HAVE NO ONE, NO ONE AT ALL! AT LEAST YOU GOT TO CHOOSE WHETHER YOU WANTED TO FIGHT, I DIDN'T! I GOT MADE TO TAKE THIS!" Draco pulled up his sleeve and showed his mark to her, making her wince slightly. "ONCE I WAS IN I COULDN'T GET OUT, HE THREATENED TO KILL ME AND MY FAMILY IF I DIDNT COMPLETE THE TASK! YOU HAVE NO IDEA, SO DONT COME TELLING ME HOW BAD YOURE LIFE IS, BECAUSE YOU KNOW NOTHING!"

 

She was speechless, she just stared at him for two minutes straight until she could finally speak,

"Uh- I- I'm sorry, Malfoy." She replied quietly. Draco didn't want to say anything, he was out of words. He just watched her take her work and scurry out shamefully. He was actually quite glad, he had the room back to himself. He lay down on the black leather sofa that sat in front of the fireplace and thought. He should have hated her more, but he didn't. He hated himself for opening up, but he was bound to explode at some point. He had been holding it in for so long, it was like a bubble that kept getting more and more air pumped into it; it would eventually pop. That's what Draco felt like, he kept storing more problems inside of him without anyway of releasing them, eventually he was going to pop. And he did. Just to Hermione Granger.


	5. Preparation

"But why not!?" Ginny protested for the hundredth time,

"But why!? There is literally no occasion to have a ball for, you just want an excuse to dress up and see Harry!" Hermione exasperatedly answered back. It was 11pm on Sunday, their second week back, and she was on the verge of hexing Ginny. She was tired and wanted to go to bed but Ginny was going on and on about how they should throw a ball.

"Don't use Harry against me!" She answered loudly, she was angry.

"I'm not, I know you miss him and Ron and so do I, but this is stupid. There is absolutely no reason to have a ball and you ARE just using it as an excuse to see them."

"Am not!"

"Ginny, you're being a child. What other reason would you want a ball?"

"It will... Bring people together!" It was so obvious she made it up on the spot, Hermione thought to herself.

"Even still, a ball is too fancy. You throw a ball when there's something to celebrate."

"How about a party then?" Ginny asked excitedly. Hermione sighed. She couldn't be bothered.

"Fine."

"Really!?"

"Fine."

"Oh this is going to be great! I'll talk to Parvati in the morning about arrangements!" She hurriedly said and started running out of the Gryffindor common room and up to her dorm.

"Oh, Ginny!" Hermione said with a slightly raised voice, trying her best not to wake anyone. Ginny came down a few steps and put her head round the corner to see Hermione,

"Yes?"

"You can't invite Harry or Ron." She looked really disheartened but then quickly tried to hide it,

"I wasn't going to anyway." Ginny answered proudly with her nose in the air and continued up the stairs, causing Hermione to laugh slightly.

 

She felt bad. She wanted to see them as much as Ginny did- well, probably not as much, but either way she missed them, and she wanted to see them too, but did Ginny not realise you can't just invite random people into Hogwarts? Hermione sat in the common room and pondered for a moment. She was Head Girl, she knew she was going to get sent to ask McGonagall about the party as no one really knew Michael that well. He was pretty anti-social, but then again Hermione couldn't say much, she only spoke to her group of friends and no one outside of it, unless it was first years asking for help or something like that. She sighed at the thought that she would have to start speaking to a lot more people now she was Head Girl, including Malfoy.

 Ugh. Malfoy. Hermione decided that she should probably go to bed before she let another horrible thought grace her mind.

 

......

 

The beaming sun hit Hermione's face as she woke. As she stretched, she turned to her right to look at her clock; 6:30am, breakfast would be at 7:30 so she got up to get dressed. She slowly sat up at the right side of her bed and stretched again, looking around the dorm. Hermione and Parvati shared a room with the proper 7th years, Ginny and the others. She didn't really know people's names which she was quite ashamed of. She looked ahead of her and saw Ginny, snoring her head off. Hermione felt lonely this year, as if she didn't have any friends. She did, of course, but they were either male or Luna. Her male friends would always hang out together, and she couldn't just intrude and be the only girl, and Luna was in Ravenclaw so she only got to see her in certain classes and after classes.

 

Everyone just assumed she was friends with Ginny because she was her brother's girlfriend or because her best friend was her boyfriend, but in all honesty they weren't really close. Acquaintances was probably the best way to define their relationship Hermione decided, they didn't really talk much but they got along nonetheless and enjoyed each other's company from time to time, which was mainly when Ginny's friends weren't there. Hermione knew she didn't do it on purpose, Ginny was lovely and would never do that, but Hermione didn't really mind, all in all it just gave her an excuse to make new friends this year.

 

She finally got up off her bed and took her towel into the shower, normally she'd take her time to think in the shower but she decided she'd already done enough of that this morning so quickly washed herself and her hair and got out and wrapped her towel around her before she left the bathroom. As she made her way to her bed, she saw the time was 7:00; plenty of time to get ready. It only took she 10 minutes to get dressed so she also put her hair up in a pony tail and put on some light make-up as she had a little extra time.

 

She applied her last little bit of powder and looked over at the time; 7:30. She was going to be late but it was fine, she was never really hungry in the mornings. All the other girls had left so she made her way down the staircase silently and into the common room; she was the last one left as she presumed. Hermione made her way out of the portrait and down seven flights of stairs gladly undisturbed, made her way through halls until she reached the entrance to the Great Hall and stopped for a moment. Everyone was talking to their friends in their houses, everyone seemed happy for once, like nothing could hurt them, because they couldn't. There was nothing trying to hurt them anymore which made Hermione's face light up like a Christmas tree. With her spirits lifted, she lifted her head up and walked into the Great Hall and sat down next to her peers at the Gryffindor table.

 

"Hi, Hermione."

"Hey, Hermione."

"Good Morning." Different people chorused to her when she sat down,

"Hi Seamus, Neville, Dean, Ginny, sleep well?"

"Like a baby." Ginny answered with a smile,

"An elephant baby."

"What?"

"Not even an elephant, you were louder than an elephant! Your snoring is terrible!"

"I don't snore!"

"Then your hair isn't bright red." Parvati said from behind Ginny, she'd just came in the hall. She said herself down next to Ginny and smiled mockingly at her.

"Whatever." Ginny replied in a huffy voice, causing everyone to laugh.

 

......

 

Draco kept staring at them, getting more and more annoyed with them. They would not stop laughing, smiling, talking loudly as if they didn't care about what anyone else thought. The ways they annoyed him were infinate, and Draco took joy in listing them all as he sat down for each meal.

 

"Draco?" He turned his head and saw it was Pansy that was speaking to him,

"Mhmm?" He grunted half-heartedly,

"What was the potions essay meant to be about?"

"Pansy, we have it next, how are you going to do it in time?"

"Magic, obviously."

"Polyjuice potion, what it's made of, it's effects, that sort of rubbish." Draco answered and ignored the question he wanted to ask; 'How are you going to do it with magic in a way that Slughorn can't use a spell to detect it?' He knew Pansy would find a way.

"But we've already done polyjuice, in sixth year?"

"I didn't set the essay, go complain to someone else."

"Merlin, did a Hippogriff piss in your cereal or something?"

"Go away, Pansy."

"Ugh. Fine," and she strutted off to Goyle and Daphne. Draco was tired and was starting to feel a bit ill; Pansy was one of the last things or people he cared about at the best of times, and at that moment, he wouldn't have held back on using an unforgivable curse to make her move.

 

Draco got up and left, he wasn't going to eat anyway so there was no point of him staying there. It was about 7:50 so he made his way to Potions with the Gryffindors. He was dreading it. A lesson with the Slytherins was bad enough, the Gryffindorks just made it ten times worse. He went downstairs and made his way to the dungeons, he got there a few minutes early so he leant against the wall with right foot on it too, and waited.

 

......

 

"1, 2, 3," Hermione, Ginny, Dean, Neville and Luna whispered,

"Seamus!" They all shouted and Seamus shot up off the table, suddenly looking alert, causing everyone else to laugh. It was 8:00 and lessons were about to start and everyone else had left the Great Hall apart from the six friends.

"Wha- I- I wasn't asleep!" He drowsily defended, causing everyone into further fits of laughter,

"I though Ginny was the loudest snorer, I guess I was wrong!" Hermione joked,

"I wasn't snoring because I wasn't asleep." Seamus further defended whilst everyone else wiped the tears out of their eyes,

"Okay, Seamus, whatever." Dean said teasingly to which Seamus bumped him in the shoulder and laughed himself.

 

"What do we have now?" Neville asked as they left the doors of the Hall,

"We have... Potions with the Slytherins, ugh. What do you have, Luna?" Hermione replied,

"I have Herbology with Hufflepuff." She answered simply with a smile. Everyone muttered something along the lines of 'Lucky you' back to her, "Well, I'm this way so I'll say you all later?"

"Definitely! Bye, Luna." Hermione assured with a smile and continued to potions with the rest of her friends.

 

She jogged a little until she reached them again and joined in the conversation, "Michael is a useless head boy!" Ginny protested,

"How?"

"A Gryffindor was running through the halls so he deducted 50 points, 50!! Then a Ravenclaw was running behind them and he didn't do anything because it was his own house!" Ginny answered angrily,

"I don't know," Hermione commented, "I haven't really-"

Neville cut her off; "Malfoy." He whispered to the rest of them, causing them to look away from each other and instead straight ahead if them where Malfoy was sending them all deathly glares. Most of the Gryffindors didn't know what to say but Hermione just kept glaring back at Malfoy.

 

"Granger, I know I'm better looking than that thing you call your boyfriend, but you don't need to keep staring at me." He commented with a smirk, causing Hermione to boil with anger,

"Simply just returning the gesture, Malfoy, I just thought you were staring at me because you have a thing for muggleborns." Hermione replied with a smug look on her face, she'd never seen someone have such a disgusted look on their face.

"Calling yourself a 'muggleborn'? Sounds like you're trying to make yourself sound better than what you really are; a Filthy. Little. M-" Slughorn quickly came out of the room and cut Malfoy off,

"Come in, class." Hermione looked around to see that the whole class arrived without her knowing, all staring at her and Malfoy's argument.

 

......

 

Potions was pretty boring for Hermione, she knew all about the potion Slughorn was talking about so she just exchanged notes with Ginny all lesson about the party and decided details about it: It would be in the prefects' common room, it would be on Friday so in four days time, no Slytherins would be invited and to keep Daphne and Draco out, Hermione would put them on patrol for Friday so they wouldn't go in the common room. They would leave one of Hermione's spare wands on the floor outside the room so that invited people could use it to open the room, and uninvited people would think it was just a dropped wand. Deciding all of that took up pretty much the whole of Hermione's lesson but Slughorn let her off, he said she wouldn't get a month of detentions but only if she would come to the next 'Slug Club party'. She would have preferred the detentions.


End file.
